sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013

INFANTE DE ORLEANS FOUNDATION: THE FRUIT OF THE PASSION AND HUGE EFFORT FOR FLYING HISTORICAL AIRPLANES

The worldwide
famous Infante of Orleans Foundation, devoted to both the preservation of
historical airplanes in flight condition and to maintain alive the History of
Spanish Aviation, began its path when a group of professional pilots highly competent in sporting aviation, who had
already created the Historical Airplanes Section of the José Luis Aresti
Aeroclub in 1984,

decided to consolidate it establishing the FIO in 1989,
aiming at getting the most comprehensive feasible collection of aircraft which
have performed a significant role in the development of Spanish aeronautics.

Amazingly, by
dint of huge and strenuous effort, deep knowledge and experience, infatuation
for the sublime classical planes and the flight in pure state, thousands of hours of toil and many more things, this group of men deeply loving
aviation and its legendary background plucked up courage and after some years of
steady activity, fighting tooth and nail with high doses of enthusiasm,
striving for thoroughness in a lot of different sides to fulfill their dream,
turned the Infante de Orleans Foundation into one of the foremost organizations
of its scope existing in the world, something which has kept on throughout XXI
Century hitherto.All of them (Carlos Valle, Avelino González, Manuel Valle, Pedro Valle, Jaime Larrea, Juan Crespo, Luis Cabré, Ramón Ortega, Leto Martín, Augusto Núñez, Jorge Ester, José M. Palenzuela, Jaime Larrea, Fernando Adrados, Francisco Gil, Santiago Blanco, Fernando Iglesias, Felipe Aresti, Álvaro Oviedo and many others) are highly experienced professional pilots or top-notch mechanics featuring outstanding know-how and expertise in the sphere of traditional mechanics.A DREAM COME
TRUE

Therefore,
throughout 25 years, the Infante de Orleans Foundation has become one of the international
benchmarks in its domain

Carlos Valle, President of the Infante de Orleans Foundation,
posing with pilots and mechanics of the FIO along with a lot of visitors of all ages who
have set up a great family sharing their love for aviation and classical
airplanes in flight throughout decades of exhibitions.

and has thrilled the hundreds of thousands of people
who have visited Cuatro Vientos Airdrome on every first Sunday of each month
(date in which flight exhibitions are held) from late eighties of the XX
Century to watch fly these jewels of the aviation history, vast majority of
which are equipped with gorgeous piston engines in a number of sizes,
configurations and powers, having written many of the most glorious pages of
Aviation History.

Felipe Aresti, José Luis Aresti´s son, piloting the Bücker Jungmeister, one of the most beautiful aerobatic and sporting airplanes ever made. It features a Siemens 160 H.P engine. This aircraft was piloted by many decades by the internationally famous José Luis Aresti (1917-2003), one of the best pilots in history, head of the Spanish team and organizer of the III Aerobatics World Championship held in 1964 - which was won by Tomás Castaño - , holder of the Paul Tissandier Diploma 1955, FAI Bronze Medal 1961, and President of the Aerobatics Commission since 1967, having also been the creator of the Aresti Aerocrytographic Dictionary used by the IAF to identify the different figures in aerobatics competitions.

Two Bücker Jungmanns flying together.

These wonderful
vintage planes oozing beauty, class, elegance, charm and history to spare have
been the main actors of unforgettable displays, land and aerial alike, which
have made the spectators feel spellbound once and again.

They are professional
pilots with remarkable background and thousands of flight hours, often handling
much modern and sophisticated planes,who have proved to have a great penchant for flying the
FIO vintage airplanes for decades.

And the same can
be applied to the Infante de Orleans Foundation top-notch mechanics (frequently
handling components of much more updated aircraft engines, fuselages, cockpits,
landing gears, rudders, etc), who likewise devote thousands of hours of their
lives to the deep study and research of old manuals of classic aircraft with
the goal of keeping them flawless and in perfect condition to fly,

constantly paying attention among many other things to the flawless working of the piston-engined powerplants.

THE
CONSOLIDATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE CLASS ORGANIZATIONFrom its very
inception, the Infante de Orleans Foundation had a cornerstone: the salvation
of very valuable and historical airplanes from plunder and junking,
simultaneously managing to get them in perfect flight condition, it all with a
further and not less significant goal: the spreading of Spanish aeronautical
culture.

British Klemm Swallow II, featuring a Cirrus Minor 90 H.P engine.

This way, little
by little, through very hard work and perseverance, year after year, this highly
competent professional human group deeply involved in sporting aviation, was
able to turn the FIO in one of the most important worldwide organizations
within its sphere, a true feat deserving the highest accolades, above all if we
bear in mind that they accomplished it with very few means and steady
constrained budgets, making a great variety of things focusing on innovation
and adaptability as significant strengths, most times working in a craftsmanship way, to such an extent that
already in mid nineties of XX Century, the Infante of Orleans eyhibitio~ of
clqssic aicraft in flight held on the first Sunday of each month was internationally
famous, with massive attendance of both Spanish and foreign visitors from
different countries pining for

the unforgettable experience and relish of
watching these amazing and historical planes (many of them appearing in
mythical movies like North by Northwest, Out of Africa, etc) fly.But to achieve it was always the result of exceedingly
uphill endeavours, and if it´s difficult to reach the top, even more difficult
is to remain within it, and the key factors in the FIO great success have been:- The great verve and experience provided by the pilots and mechanics of the FIO team.- A constant and very painstaking overhaul and care of every aircraft in the collection.- The restoration of the airplanes of the collection, tackled by FIO with exceptional levels of thoroughness and knowledge, using the best available materials. These works include the reinforcement of frames, new fabrics manufacture, painting with new colours, renewing of both main and tail wheels, adjustment of the front cover of engines, replacement of old components in engines, strengthening of propellers or replacement of them by new ones, crankshaft revision, dissassembly and revision of structures, and many others. In this sphere, the work of experts like José María Valles Alaminos, one of the driving forces of the FIO Center of Restoration and Maintenance of Airplanes, has been a major pillar of the organization.The Infante de Orleans Foundation CRM carries out its restorations with the highest standards of quality, returning each vintage plane to its original condition.

- A lot of ground tests to verify the integral working, inlcuding the first start-up and taxiing.- A steady tuning of the piston engined powerplants of the different aircraft of the collection.- The intensive study of old books and manuals on specific planes of the collection, delving into the methods and techniques necessary to keep them in ideal condition.

- The invaluable and praiseworthy labour developed for decades by some top class aviation scholars and historians

En Vuelo, the informative bulletin of FIO,
in spite of its reduced number of 24 pages, is currently a highly respected
magazine in the international sphere of publications devoted to vintage
aircraft in flight condition, standing out because of its excellent articles on
very interesting airplanes and episodes belonging to the golden era of
aviation, written by the aforementioned experts, and including very lavish
content, superb pictures and old posters, which have made up gorgeous monographs like the 8 pages one titled ´Fleet 2 ´ by Javier Permanyer
Fernández, ´Impressions of a Transatlantic Trip´ by Felipe E. Ezquerro
dealing on the first Super Constellation aircraft making the route Madrid-New
York in August of 1954, the highly detailed ´The Center of Restauration and
Maintenance of Airplanes of FIO´ written by José María Valles Alaminos,
including very good pictures taken inside the Infante of Orleans Foundation
workshops, etc.

This informative bulletin, which is to practical effects a small full-fledged professional magazine, also boasts a great level of quality as to photographic reproduction and paper, great accuracy of colors, and is sent free to the FIO protecting members.like Javier
Permanyer Fernández, Felipe E. Ezquerro, Enrique Fernández Coppel, Cecilio
Yusta Viñas, Carlos Lázaro Ávila, Canario Azaola, José Sánchez Méndez and others, with many articles and lectures
which have helped a great deal to divulge the historical and technological
significance of the vintage airplanes, along with their most relevant
breakthroughs.- The excellent pictures made by recognized photographers of airplanes like Ismael Abeytua, Javier Guerrero, Guillermo Blume, Paco Rivas, Luigino Callaro and others, whose work has also been important for the FIO.

- A full-hearted fight for getting very representative planes
in the History of Aviation,

Comper C.L.A.7 Swift, equipped with a very reliable 7 cylinder Pobjoy R 75 H.P engine. In 1933 the Spanish pilot Fernando Rein Loring accomplished one of the greatest feats in the History of Aviation, flying from Madrid to Manila in a trip of thirteen stages, covering a total of 15,615 km. This single-seat braced high-wing monoplane built of fabric covered spruce wood frames was designed by the British military pilot Nick Comper, an expert in the manufacture of very light and small airplanes featuring long range. Rain Loring´s Comper Swift had an empty weight of 280 kg, while its maximum takeoff was 447 kg, with a range of 1,600 km and a top speed of 210 km/h.

Stinson L-5 Sentinel.something which
becomes a treat for all enthusiasts of vintage airplanes.

Regarding this,
the obtaining by the Infante de Orleans Foundation of a Polikarpov I-16 Mosca

Polikarpov I-16 Mosca piloted by Carlos Valle, President of FIO. This stunning monoplane features a tremendous Shvetsov M-62 nine cylinder, air-cooled 1,000 H.P radial engine, an optimized version of the Wright R-1820 Cyclone (that had been made in Russsia under licence as the Shvetsov 25 775 H.P), adding a two-speed centrifugal type supercharger and a more efficent induction system, along with an increase in power up to 1,000 H.P

Back view of Polikarpov I-16, piloted by Carlos Valle, during a turn on the left.after a lot of
years of efforts, was truly a milestone, and this legendary fighter (which
became highly famous during the Spanish Civil War), piloted by Carlos Valle
(President of the Infante de Orleans Foundation) has turned into the flagship
of the collection and one of the most valuable and spectacular vintage aircraft
currently in flight condition in the world, bearing the CM-249 badge belonging
to the Republican ace José María Bravo, head of the 3rd Squadron.

And above all,
the FIO has followed from its birth tremendously stringent security protocols
(always going far beyond the official regulations in this regard), searching
for the maximum safeguard of the people attending the exhibitions.

Javier Permanyer, a recognized authority on aviation topics, has been for many years the man explaining the main traits and history of avery airplane of the FIO collection before each exhibition. With his comprehensive knowledge about all kind of aircraft and periods, listening to him is a real treat for any enthusiast of aviation, with the added bonus of his steady effort to teach things in a way that everybody can understand them.

Javier Permanyer explaining the features of one of the two Bücker Jungmann aircraft of the FIO collection to an abundant audience.A WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE EVENTTo see fly the
vintage airplanes of the Infante de Orleans Foundation during its monthly exhibitions is a real treat for any
lover of aviation, and people attending them do experience a
heart shivering and an unutterable thrill on watching their majestic shapes
prancing in the air driven by piston engines whose sound has to be heard to be
believed.

Anyone having
ever listened to the amazing music generated by engines such as the Wright Cyclone SR-1820-F3 775 H.P of the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca, the Continental
W-670 225 H.P of the Boeing PT-17 Stearman, the Prat & Whitney R-1340 600 H.P of the North American T-6 Texan, the Siemens 160 H.P of the Bücker Jungmeister, the Kinner 125 H.P of the Fleet 2 and many
others can confirm it.

Detail of the Continental W-670 225 H.P engine of the Boeing PT-17 Stearman.

Boeing PT-17 Stearman

Lateral view of the Siemens 160 H.P engine and propeller of Bücker Jungmeister.

Polikarpov I-16 Mosca flying at full power pushed by its tremendous Wright Cyclone 775 H.P engine and piloted by Carlos Valle, the man who after a lot of years striving for getting this jewel, could see his dream come true. It´s impossible to express with words the fabulous experience of watching this unique airplane fly, and the sound of that powerplant ...

North American T-6 Texan

A very young fan of Aviation inside the cockpit of a North American T-6 Texan beside its pilot of the Infante de Orleans Foundation.

Polikarpov I-16 Mosca and HA-200 Saeta, the latter being the only jet till now in the FIO Collection, piloted by Santi Blanco, Fernando Adrados, Manix Iglesias and Ladislao Tejedor Romero (May he rest in peace).

Pitts S-2A.On the other hand, the FIO flight exhibitions are
often visited by guest stars, id est, pilots who provide their airplanes and
skills helping to make the displays even more exciting and interesting. Among
them can be highlighted:

HA-220 Super Saeta with camouflage painting, one of the jewels of the Fundaciò Parc Aeronautic de Catalunya and piloted by Jaime Capllonch. Equipped with two Turbomeca Marboré VI jet engines delivering 480 kg thrust each. It was overhauled by Maestro Pacheco, who also adjusted the powerplants.

Antonov AN-2 Annushka, the biggest single engine biplane ever made. Featuring a Shvetsov Ash 62 IR 1000 H.P radial engine, it is an exceedingly sturdy and reliable plane excelling in STOL capabilities enabling it to operate in a wide range of contexts, as well as offering an astounding ability to work at low and very low speeds, thanks to its automatic system of slats stretching through springs, in such a way that there isn´t barely any stall speed.

Antonov AN-2. The flight of this large Russian aircraft is really sumptuous, specially when it moves in the air at the exceedingly low speeds it is able to handle with utter security. In order to properly realize what means to watch the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca fly, it could be interesting to know that it is driven exactly by the same engine as the Annushka.

Sukhoi SU-31, equipped with a 400 H.P Vedeneyev M-14PF engine and piloted by Ramón Alonso, Aerobatics World Champion in 2007, held in Armilla (Granada), and in which Cástor Fantoba got a highly praiseworthy fourth position. The Spanish aerobatics team had also a historical performance, attaining the silver medal in the teams competition thanks to the great performances by Ramón Alonso, Cástor Fantoba and Juan Velarde, managing to accomplish the feat of beating the Russian squad (which was the great favourite). This definitely consolidated the Spanish aerobatics within the world elite, something which was also attained through the remarkable performances by other great pilots like Sergio Pla, Juan Socias, Anselmo Gámez and the great Alex McLean (May he rest in peace) who became one of the best international aerobatic champions competing highly successfully in the Red Bull Air Race World Series between 2003 and 2009, having also been twice Spain Champion of Aerobatics and once European Champion.

Sukhoi SU-31 piloted by Ramón Alonso.

SUPERB CALENDARSThis is another
aspect in which the FIO excels, manufacturing year after year very charming
king size calendars exuding elegance, good taste and excellent pictures made by
recognized aviation photographers like Ismael Abeytua, Javier Guerrero,
Guillermo Blume and others.

The 2013 one, featuring
vintage aesthetics everywhere and providing the main technical data regarding
each depicted airplane, is really beautiful.

One of the pages of the FIO 2013 Calendar with a picture of the Beechcraft made by Ismael Abeytua.

Another of the pages of FIO 2013 Calendar with a photograph of the legendary HA-200 Saeta made by Ismael Abeytua.GENERATOR OF VOCATIONSAs well as implementing its labour spreading the History of Spanish Aviation and preserving classic aircraft in perfect flight condition, the Infante de Orleans Foundation has been and goes on being a catalyst of vocations in future pilots and mechanics, besides being a cultural source of knowledge whose technological and historical heritage can be highly useful for their professional background.

Carlos, a great enthusiast of Aeronautics since he was almost a baby, holding his model airplane by the Polikarpov I-16 Rata of the FIO. Being only 6 years old, he was able to make a wooden kit of the HA-200 Saeta. Great Video made by Squadron 69 MembersCopyright Text and Photos: José Manuel Serrano Esparza